Navajo athlete Keyshawn Whitehorse wins Ty Murray Invitational

For three days, the Land of Enchantment treated Keyshawn Whitehorse like one of its own.

The Navajo Nation athlete from McCracken Spring, Utah, enjoyed a near-perfect weekend, successfully completing all four of his eight-second rides — including two on Sunday — to win the 29th annual PBR Ty Murray Invitational at the Pit. Whitehorse had the full support of the crowd at Albuquerque’s most hallowed venue, which made for a raucous scene when he clinched his victory in the championship round.  

Whitehorse is well aware of the connection he has with the fans in New Mexico. 

“It's amazing. Every year I come here, I always make sure I try to give everything, give it my all,” Whitehorse said. “And to be able to perform at a high level, in front of some great fans, and in front of my family and relatives that are nearby that might not be able to make any other event. This is the closest one, the most accessible. It means a lot. 

“I'm so happy and thankful to God for the ability to ride like I did and enjoy every single moment. And just know that no matter what the outcome was, that I was loved.”

After completing the first three rides, Whitehorse was in the No. 1 position with a score of 271.15 points. However, there was still some drama in the championship round, as both Brazil’s Claudio Montanha Jr. (355.30 points) and Missouri’s Bob Mitchell (350.90 points) surpassed the fan favorite ahead of his final ride. 

Whitehorse delivered in the clutch, successfully riding a bull named Lights Out for a 90.75 score to give him a final tally of 361.9 points. That earned him both a bronze trophy and a $53,992 payout.

The message on the trophy reads “Doing whatever it takes.” For Whitehorse, that meant not worrying about the leaderboard. 

“In my mind, I already rode that bull,” he said. “I didn't know if I had it won already or if I needed to stay on to win. But all I knew is I was going to stay on. That's it. That's all I knew.”

Event founder Ty Murray knows very well how the important the sport is to the Native American community from his days as an active competitor. Seeing Whitehorse ignite the crowd was a memorable moment for him, as well. 

“It's really special to me because my whole life I grew up in Arizona and New Mexico. We spent all of our winters in Arizona and all of our summers in New Mexico. So I've grown up around the Native Americans my whole life,” Murray said. “And I feel like they have supported me my whole life and through my whole career.

“Being able to have the invite every year, that's my little special way of giving back. Because we are the NFL to them. This is their No. 1 sport.”

As much as Whitehorse stole the show, the bulls certainly had their moments as well. That included the top-ranked Pegasus, who bucked Paulo Eduardo Rossetto — the defending Ty Murray champ — in the final round. Other Top 10-ranked bulls like Buck Nasty, Fire Zone and Eyes on Me all got the better of their riders in the championship round. 

“Every year when I come to this event, I'm taken aback by the bulls,” Murray said. “The worst one we'll see here is better than what the best ones were in my day.”

The victory allowed Whitehorse to move up to No. 9 in overall PBR Unleash the Beast standings with 405 total points. On this particular weekend, he outperformed some of the top-ranked athletes in the sport, including everyone currently ranked in the Top 5. 

“It's definitely giving me momentum, but I've been the guy that always trusts the process no matter what,” Whitehorse said. “At the end of the day, I still do the same things no matter what, whether I'm on top of the world or 35th or lower.”

TOUGH RIDING: It was a rough afternoon at the office for Indian National Finals Rodeo champion Cole Brewer. Riding a bull named Lieutenant Dan, Brewer was bucked off in 2.57 seconds. Brewer, a Cheyenne River Sioux from Eagle View, South Dakota, did not score over the course of the weekend. 

HAPPY RETURNS: The Ty Murray Invitational will return to Albuquerque in 2027 on April 23-25 at The Pit.